by Vivian Vega Schoch
Two out of every three women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, of them less than 12% have sufficient health care coverage.
As one of those statistics, I discovered that I was not alone in my financial challenges after my own treatment in 2004. I was a single mother with no medical insurance. So, I went to work and became the poster child for “I don’t have time to be sick!”
Rather than feel sorry for myself, I began to inquire with others about their experiences. I found that I was not alone.
I realized something was missing: a community to help others in similar situations. Each story inspired me to move beyond my own personal experience and to have a bigger impact.
With the help of my husband and close friend, Kelli Mercurio, we started a nonprofit with the mission of helping patients and their families through workshops and other support activities.
By creating something bigger than myself, I have been able to pay it forward by helping other women who traveled a similar journey. Many families have no idea what they need until they need it and there is a vast network available for them.
If you see something missing, then maybe it’s you who is supposed to discover the finding.
My favorite quote is by Andy Andrews:
Hope sees what is invisible, holds what is intangible.
It is only through hope that we preserver with strong hope we continue to fight.
About the Guest Blogger
Vivian Vega Schoch is the co-Director of Breast Friends, a nonprofit organization with the mission of helping patients and their families through workshops, wigs, and support activities. Vivian is a breast cancer conqueror of over nine years.
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